Visual Identity for Rushern Baker

Case Study

Branding & Identity | Social Media Content Creation | Social Media Management

Background

In 2021, Rushern Baker, former Prince George’s County executive who also sought the gubernatorial nomination in 2018, announced his second attempt at the race for Governor of Maryland, along with his running mate, Montgomery County Councilmember Nancy Navarro.

I served the roles of Creative Director and Content Manager on the Baker-Navarro team.

I was responsible for creating visually engaging social media graphics with compelling copy that would encourage viewers to donate money to the campaign, understand more about the campaign’s platform, and gain insight into the politicians' personal lives. Over the course of six months, I worked closely with other members of the campaign team to help shape the campaign's message, build the digital visual identity, and engage with potential supporters.

Final Assets Produced

  • Updated logo design and brand guidelines

  • 80+ social media designs and templates, including static posts and videos

  • 2 digital sales ads

  • 4 event flyers

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Visual Identity and Social Media Content Planning

The first step of action involved creating a cohesive and visually appealing brand identity for the campaign and developing a plan for creating and sharing content on social media platforms. I worked closely with the campaign manager to identify the campaign’s key values and target audience.

I created an identity focused on dark blue and bright green. Green was already a staple color for Rushern Baker. His logo from the previous race for Governor relied heavily on green. I paired it with a dark, muted blue to help make it stand out more.

Also, blue is often associated with trust, confidence, and professionalism and a common color used in political campaign logos and branding, as it can help convey a sense of patriotism and nationalism. Additionally, I liked the green because it can be associated with growth, money, and prosperity, all things important for focusing on economic issues.

Once the visual identity was established, the next step was to create a social media content plan. We established the types of content that would be shared, such as carousel images, short reels, longer videos for YouTube, infographics highlighting the platform, and personal throwback photos. We also defined a schedule for posting daily and a plan for responding to comments and engaging with followers.

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Challenges

The target audience isn’t very familiar with the political process or political history. We really wanted to emphasize that the Baker Navarro campaign is the only campaign running on 100% public financing. Rushern Baker and Nancy Navarro felt strongly about not accepting money from large corporations and rich, private donors. Through the Maryland’s public funding for campaigns program, all donations accepted were limited to public funds and individuals donating a maximum of $250. The state of Maryland would then match those funds 8 to 1. Getting the audience to both understand and care where political dollars come from was a challenge.

Another challenge we faced was reacting quickly to emergency posts and hot topic news items that popped up during the day. This required the entire campaign team to stay in constant contact with each other and be able quickly to create and publish content in a timely manner. This was especially challenging when team members changed roles on the team and or had limited availability.

Solutions

To address these challenges, I worked closely with the photographer to create social media content around neighborhood door knocking events, public appearances, and community rallies. We documented the content and developed a narrative to help the audience understand the candidate's motivations and frustrations about money, their journey within the public financing system, and the impact they hope to make in American politics as a whole.

We also held weekly meetings to discuss the campaign's goals and messaging. We also established a Slack communication group to stay in constant contact with other campaign team members. This allowed us to quickly share ideas and feedback, and react to emergency posts and hot topic news items in a timely manner.

Results

Through our efforts, we were able to significantly increase the campaign's social media engagement and overall visibility. We saw a significant increase in donations, as well as a higher level of engagement from supporters who were actively sharing our content on their own social media channels. Our collaboration with the photographer helped to showcase the campaign's events in a visually compelling way, and we received positive feedback from supporters who felt more connected to the campaign and its message as a result of our efforts.

Conclusion

Overall, my experience as a creative director and content manager for a political campaign allowed me to develop a range of skills, from project management to social media marketing. I learned how to work collaboratively with other team members and adapt quickly to changing circumstances. Most importantly, I gained a deep appreciation for the power of social media and its ability to engage and mobilize supporters in a political campaign.